Page 29 of Champion (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #6)
The smoke bombs—little leather-wrapped orbs containing ingredients Kariosak pilfered from the kitchen stores and powdered Zarpazian scales—worked like a charm.
The three Aljani guards monitoring the gate were rendered unconscious by the time they realized the strange smoke billowing about their heads wasn’t an errant fog.
I struggled to make my feet move past the gate, to make myself walk away from my mate and leave her safety to others.
Logically, I knew Willa was right. I had to get a message to the Bardaga , or the arrival of the Kerzak would mean certain slaughter.
Logically, I realized that as long as Nansar thought Willa was the Zarpazian in disguise, she would be safe.
Unfortunately, logic did nothing to relieve the worried ache residing in the center of my chest.
Adtovar and I walked into the desert, our pilfered Aljani uniforms camouflage enough to fool any enemy eyes alert at this hour of the night. Xabat and Rickon would remain by the gate until Adtovar returned, while Cristox and Zahavi had the care and protection of my mate.
The skiff was not far from the arena, no more than a thousand meters. A purposeful landing with my intent to be captured. It sat where I left it, a dark, hulking spot in the landscape.
“Fast ship?” Adtovar asked as the gleaming silver hull of the skiff came into focus unfettered by the night.
“Fast enough,” I grunted, reaching to let my fingertips trail along the sleek metal. A fine layer of dust covered the skiff, a sign no one had been here in a while. I still nursed the screaming desire to go back, grab Willa, bring her to the skiff, and take her to the Bardaga —Nansar be damned.
At my side, Adtovar turned in a slow circle, surveying the landscape. “Whoever Nansar sends should come from that direction.” He pointed toward a spot on the horizon where a small yellow light wavered at the north end of the pit.
“I thought the arena had only one exit.” The area where Adtovar pointed was several hundred meters away from where we’d left the three guards unconscious.
The Aljani issued a disgusted snort. “Do you think Nansar would leave himself only one means of escape?”
I answered his question with a repulsed snort of my own.
We settled to wait at the back of the skiff, hidden in the deep shadows caused by the tail and rudders.
The desert night was cool. A faint breeze stirring the sand at our feet, held the scent of the desert, earthy and arid.
Despite my distaste for wearing it, I found myself grateful for the extra coverage of the Aljani uniform.
We didn’t have to wait long.
The guard first appeared as a slow-moving blob in the distance.
As he drew closer, I could discern his meandering step, the toe of his boots kicking up puffs of red dust that swirled in the air and dimmed the small light he carried.
I recognized this guard. He wasn’t one I’d consider particularly skilled.
No, Nansar picked this male because he was expendable.
He walked past where Adtovar and I crouched in the shadows without the slightest inkling of our presence.
It was too easy.
Adtovar slipped behind the male, placing him in a choke hold that brought unconsciousness in minutes. We carried him inside, binding his hands and feet and dumping him on the floor outside the cockpit.
I checked the controls, and the systems came up easily. Everything seemed in perfect working order. It would be easy to leave orbit and get a message to the Bardaga . Yet the idea of leaving my mate on the planet created a hollowness in my gut that rolled and ached.
“How long do you think he’ll be out?” Adtovar frowned impatiently at the guard. “We need to know what Nansar intended for him to do with the skiff.”
“How should I know?” I quipped. “You’re the one that choked him.”
Issuing a grunt of extreme aggravation, Adtovar stalked to the galley cabinet, pulling out a pouch of water that he promptly dumped over the guard’s head.
The male came to slowly, sputtering and coughing.
His pale eyes found Adtovar first. I could see the word traitor forming on his lips until he caught sight of me in his peripheral vision.
“You… you’re dead!” He squawked, wriggling himself into a kneeling position.
“It would seem that the reports of my death have been exaggerated,” I grinned, settling myself calmly in a seat to the male’s left, leaving Adtovar to act as the out-of-control warrior. A technique Willa told us about that she called good cop, bad cop.
Adtovar stopped pacing, flexing his muscles as he leaned over the guard. “What is your mission here?”
Pale blue eyes flickering between Adtovar and me narrowed hatefully. “Fuck you.”
It seemed that my mate’s colorful Earth language was being widely embraced. I bit back a smile, thinking about how Willa would love the news.
Adtovar pulled his knife from the sheath at his hip, twirling it through his fingers. “I could cut the answer out of you.”
The guard paled considerably… and babbled. “I was supposed to fly the skiff near the citadel and blow it up, so it looked like the Vaktaire crashed upon arrival.”
“Smart.” I steepled my fingers, looking over the tips at the guard. “Make it look like I had no contact with Willa… or anyone else, for that matter.”
“Easier to sell that Willa went rogue,” Adtovar agreed. “No one would believe that you didn’t try to stop her from killing the Duke.”
The guard’s eyes went wide, a sharp, shocked sound escaping his lips. “What? Kill the Duke… what?”
Adtovar and I shared a glance.
“Do you mean to tell me you don’t know of Nansar’s plan to kill Duke Ako?” Adtovar knelt, putting himself at eye level with the guard.
“There is no plan to hurt Duke Ako,” he insisted with a shake of his head. “Nansar plans a grand celebration for his father’s birthday. Since Duke Ako trained as a gladiator in his younger days, Nansar planned a fighting exhibition as a way to honor him.”
Adtovar and I shared another glance. This guard was expendable, or at least Nansar was smart enough to reveal his plans only to a trusted few.
I gave an almost imperceptible nod to the older warrior.
With a swift movement, he pulled the knife from his sheath, and drove the hilt against the guard’s temple, sending the male slumping into unconsciousness.
“Do you think all Nansar’s guards are in the dark, or just this fool?” Adtovar stood, re-sheathing his knife before adjusting his jacket.
“Hard to say,” I muttered, grabbing the guard by the ankles and dragging him into a small storage area at the back of the ship. “I’m sure some of the guards know of the plan. How could they not?”
“I agree,” Adtovar muttered, rubbing a hand over his chin as he watched me secure the door, locking the guard away.
“The Kerzak are Nansar’s real muscle.” If not, the true masterminds behind the scheme, but I kept that theory to myself.
Adtovar grunted, a wash of empathy settling over his expression. “You know you’re going to have to destroy this skiff.”
“Yeah.” I glanced toward the storage hold.
“I’ll need to fly out of the atmosphere to contact the Bardaga without planetary interference.
” Nansar’s signal jammers had kept me from contacting the ship when I’d arrived.
“I’ll dump the guard somewhere in the desert and blow the ship near the citadel where Nansar can find it.
It’s imperative he believes his plan still works. ”
Adtovar took in my words with an upward twitch of his mouth. “How will you get into the citadel? With the celebration, the entrances will be heavily guarded.”
I let a smile play over my lips for a faint second. “I have a friend in the Alliance who can help me gain entry into the coliseum.”
“Good.” Adtovar turned toward the hatch, stopping to lay a hand on my shoulder. “Be careful, my friend. I will see you soon.”
“Protect her. Please.” The words tore from my throat, a plea straight from my heart.
Adtovar studied me for a moment, his pale blue eyes intent.
“I care for her too, you know.” He said the words slowly, then hurriedly added, “Not like you care for her, but… like a daughter.” A deep inhale expanded his chest, and his eyes grew sad.
“I had a mate once… and a child. A daughter I could not save. I will keep Willa from harm… or die in the effort. I promise you this.”
“Thank you.” I lifted my own hand atop Adtovar’s shoulder. “Even though you are not Vaktaire. You are my brother.” Our shared affection for my mate would bond us forever.
Adtovar gave a soft chuckle. “Willa will like us getting along.”
I laughed as Adtovar stepped away. He was right. Willa would like it. She would love it.
Once he’d left the ship, I secured the hatch, sequestering myself in the cockpit, watching Adtovar make his way across the sands back toward the pit.
For the first time since knowing I would have to leave my mate behind, I felt a sense of peace in the action. Adtovar might not love Willa as a mate like I once feared. He loved her like a father and would lay down his life for her, just as I would.